Famous People Who Served in the Military Pt. II

Some of the celebrities of our world didn't always act or do performing arts. Many of them served their country in the military, and may have even seen combat. According to the site Forbes, here are some celebrities who served in the military

There are also actresses who served in the military

Caitlin Bassett

-Actress

-US Army Intelligence

-Known for her role on the 2022-2024 television program Quantum Leap, she served tours in Afghanistan and Qatar from 2008-2015. She was attached to the Special Operations team and NSA

Robert Graf

-Actor

-German Army (Wehrmacht)

-This actor appeared in The Great Escape. He was conscripted into the Wehrmacht and sent to the Eastern Front during WWII. After sustaining injuries in 1944, he was reassigned to war-related duties in Munich

James Donald

-Actor

-British Army

-Working for the Royal Army Service Corp (RASC) and then transferred to British Army Intelligence. There, he decoded enemy messages sent out through morse code and other formats

Steve McQueen

-Actor

-US Merchant Marines, US Marine Corps

-Served in the US Merchant Marines near the end of WWII and enlisted in the US Marine Corps later on. He saved the lives of the other marines during an Arctic exercise. A tank had broken through the ice and he saved the marines from plunging into the frigid water. He served until 1950, near the time the Korean War had started

Richard Attenborough

-Actor

-Royal Air Force

-He was a gunner and photographer for three years during WWII

Leon Askin

-Actor

-US Army Air Force

-Known best for playing General Burkhalter on the television program Hogan's Heroes, Askin was of Jewish descent, born in Vienna, Austria, and fled Nazi Europe to the US on February 12, 1940, the day he was released from a French internment camp. When he joined the US Army, he became a supply sergeant

R. Lee Ermey

-Actor

-US Marines

-This actor is almost exclusively known for his strong military roles, always playing some form of a commanding officer or leader. He served in the US Marine Corps for 11 years, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He became known as a Gunnery Sergeant after serving 14 months in Vietnam and two later tours in Okinawa. He was made to retire from the Marine Corps after sustaining injuries

Ernest Borgnine

-Actor / Producer

-US Navy

-Prior to acting, he joined the US Navy, serving as a Gunner's Mate First Class from 1935-1945

Jamie Farr

-Actor

-US Army

-This actor, who appeared on the Korean War-related sitcom M*A*S*H, is another cast member, in addition to Alan Alda, who served during the Korean War. As a cool side note, the dogtags Farr wore on the TV set were actually his own military-issued dogtags. He served with the 6th Infantry Division, with training at Fort Ord in California

James Earl Jones

-Actor

-US Army

-He was a member of the 75th Rangers Regiment

Jimmy Stewart

-Actor

-US Army Air Corps

-Film legend Jimmy Stewart joined the US Army Air Corp in 1940 and went on to serve in the Army Reserve. He spent 27 years in the military, retiring in 1967

Michael Caine

-Actor

-British Army

-Served in combat during the Korean War

Donald Pleasence

-Actor

-Royal Air Force

-He was an air crewman with the Royal Air Force. While flying in a mission, he was shot down over France and made a prisoner of war in a German camp. He was tortured while there for information. When he was brought on to the set of The Great Escape, he was asked to keep his opinions to himself. Only later, when the director found out he had been imprisoned, he asked for Pleasance's input on things, to make it more historically accurate

Bea Arthur

-Actress

-US Marine's Women's Reserve

-Best known for playing Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls, this sassy actress actually served in the US Marine's Women's Reserve for 30 months. One of her duties was driving a truck and she was also a typist

Jimi Hendrix

-Musician

-US Army

-The great guitarist enlisted in the US Army in 1961 and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. He was honorably discharged a year later when he injured his ankle

Alan Alda

-Actor

-US Army Reserve

-This actor, known for his role on the Korean War-related sitcom M*A*S*H, actually served in the military. He was able to attend Fordham University on a Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship and was fast tracked into the military, joining the US Army Reserve after graduation. He worked as a gunnery officer for six months during the Korean War

Rob Riggle

-Comedian / actor

-US Marine Corps

-He served in the US Marine Corps Reserve during his college years in 1990. He retired from the military after 23 years of service in 2013. While with the Marine Corps Reserve, he was part of several units, including the 2/2, 3/8, 24th MEU SOC, 2nd MAW, CENTCOM, MTU-17, HQPA, 3rd Bat, 5th Special Forces Group

Ice-T

-Actor / musician

-US Army

-Tracy Lauren Marrow, his real name, enlisted in the US Army right out of high school. He served for four years with the 25th Infantry

Robert Duvall

-Actor / Producer / Director

-US Army

-He served in the US Army from 8/19/1953-8/20/1954. He was able to reach the rank of Private First Class and awarded the National Defense Service Medal

Vincent Pastore

-Actor

-US Navy

-Best known for his role on The Sopranos, he served in the US Navy, enlisting as a sailor

Famous People Who Served in the Military

Some of the celebrities of our world didn't always act or do performing arts. Many of them served their country in the military, and may have even seen combat. According to the site Forbes, here are some celebrities who served in the military

There are also actresses who served in the military

Clint Eastwood

-Film actor / director

-US Army

-Drafted into the military during the Korean War and served as a lifeguard

Adam Driver

-Actor

-US Marine Corps

-After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York, Star Wars actor Adam Driver enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He was medically discharged after only two years of service when he broke his sternum in a mountain bike accident

Mel Brooks

-Actor / film director

-US Army

-Drafted into the US Army during WWII. Worked as a combat engineer for the 1104 Engineer Combat Battalion, 78th Infantry Division

Chuck Norris

-Actor / martial artist

-US Air Force

-He joined the US Air Force in 1958 and served with the Air Police in South Korea

Drew Carey

-Comedian / actor / host of The Price is Right

-US Marine Corps

-This legendary actor / comedian served in the US Marine Corps. He joined Marine Corps Reserves in 1980 and served in that unit until 1986

Mr. T

-Actor

-US Army National Guard

-Laurence Tureaud, his real name, joined the US Army National Guard in 1975. He stayed with them throughout the 1970s

Gal Gadot

-Actress

-Israeli Defense Forces

-This actress is best known for her role as Wonder Woman. She served in the Israeli Defense Forces, working for two years as a physical fitness trainer

Tom Selleck

-Actor

-California National Guard

-This legendary actor joined the California National Guard in 1967 and stayed with them until 1973

Betty White

-Actress

-American Women's Voluntary Services

-This actress, best known for playing ditzy Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, served in the American Women's Voluntary Services from 1941-1945. She worked as both a truck driver and entertainer

Sidney Poitier

-Actor

-US Army

-It was said this late but great actor lied about his age when he joined the military in 1943, enlisting to serve during WWII. He only served until 1944

Elvis Presley

-Musician

-US Army

-Not surprisingly, a lot of people knew he joined the military. That's where he met Colonel Tom Parker. He joined the military in 1957 and was stationed in Texas before going to Friedberg, Germany. He was discharged from the military three years later, in 1960

Benny Hill

-Comedian

-British Army

-This comedian served in the British Army during WWII. It's unclear what his rank was or what he did

Werner Klemperer

-Actor

-US Army Air Force 1942-1945

-This German-born actor is best known for playing the bumbling commandant Colonel Klink on Hogan's Heroes. He was of Jewish ancestry and fled Nazi Europe to the US in the 1930s. When he joined the US Army Air Force, he became a technical sergeant

John Banner

-Actor

-US Army Air Force

-Known best for playing Sgt. Schultz on the television program Hogan's Heroes, he was of Jewish descent, born in Vienna, Austria, and fled Nazi Europe in 1938 to the US. He joined the US Army and worked as a supply sergeant

Howard Caine

-Actor

-US Navy

-This actor, born in Nashville, Tennessee, is perhaps best known for playing Major Hochstetter, the leader of the Gestapo on the television program Hogan's Heroes. It's unknown what his rank was in the Navy or what he did

Jason Robards Jr.

-Actor

-US Navy

-Worked as a radio man at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack

James Garner

-Actor

-US Army

-He was a Korean War veteran. He was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division, where he was awarded two Purple Hearts, both times for injuries sustained during combat

James Clavell

-Writer, Producer

-British Army

-This man was a writer and producer for the film The Great Escape (1963). He served in the Royal Artillery regiment of the British Army and spent time in a Japanese POW camp located on on the island of Java

Charles Bronson

-Actor

-US Army Air Force

-Flew missions in a B-29 Superfortress as an aerial gunner in 25 missions

Nigel Stock

-Actor

-British Army

-He worked in the British Army, but was assigned to the London Irish Rifles and Assam Regiment, an infantry unit of the Indian Army

Timothy Dalton

This actor is lesser known than the other James Bond actors, seeing as how he only appeared in two films of the series - License to Kill and The Living Daylights

Birth name: Timothy Peter Dalton

DOB: 3/21/1946

Where: Colywn Bay, Wales, UK

Height: 6'2''

Trademark

-Intense style of acting

-Green eyes

-Deep voice

-Dark, moody characters

Trivia

-Desmond Llewelyn, who played M frequently, claims that Timothy Dalton's portrayal of 007 was far closer to the version author Ian Fleming wrote than the other actors who had played James Bond

-When Timothy Dalton played James Bond, he played a colder, darker version of James Bond, rather than the lighthearted version of James Bond played by Roger Moore. In fact, there was mixed reactions from the public about Dalton's portrayal of James Bond following the twelve years Roger Moore played the famous British spy

-Out of all of the James Bond films that have been made, he lists the first three as his favorites. 1962's Dr. No, 1963's From Russia with Love and 1964's Goldfinger. He lists them as his favorites because they are the closest to the books that they are based on

-His mother is a US citizen and, as such, is a US citizen himself

-He starred in an episode of the 1970s television show Charlie's Angels. It was the episode "Fallen Angel". His character, Damien Roth, was described as being like James Bond, which is ironic, given that he would play the British spy later on

-He is often seen in the crowds at Manchester City FC games because he is a strong supporter of Manchester City FC

-He is the only actor out of all six James Bond actors that has never married

Sir Sean Connery

Most if not all people will know this actor for the role of British super spy James Bond

Birth name: Thomas Sean Connery

DOB: 8/25/1930

Where: Edinburgh, Scotland

DOD: 10/31/2020

Where: Nassau, Bahamas

Spouse

-Micheline Roquebrune: 5/6/1975-10/31/2020 (his death)

-Diane Cilento: 11/29/1962-8/2/1974 (divorced, 1 child)

Children

-Jason Connery

Trademark

-Deep voice with strong Scottish accent

-Best known for the role of British super spy James Bond

-Plays tough heroes

-Played mentor-like figures later in life

-Gray facial hair later in life

-Thick, dark eyebrows

Trivia

-He was pulled over by an officer named Sergeant James Bond once for speeding

-Out of all of the actors to have played James Bond, he is the only one that served in the Royal Navy, like James Bond

-Out of all of the James Bond films he starred in, he lists 1963's From Russia with Love as his favorite

-On the set of Dr. No, he had worn a hairpiece, as he had begun to lose his hair at 17 and started wearing one in 1958

-On his right arm, he has two small tattoos. One reads "Scotland Forever" with daggers and the other reads "Mum and Dad." He had gotten at 16 when he enlisted in the Royal Navy

-Some of the jobs he held prior to acting included milkman, coffin polisher, nude model for Edinburgh art school students, bricklayer

-In the 1962 film Dr. No, it was him who ad libbed the now famous line "Bond. James Bond" because the original line "I am James Bond" sounded flat and just not natural. He had added a pause for dramatic effect

-He was good friends with Michael Caine, Sir Roger Moore and Richard Harris

-Originally, James Bond author Ian Fleming didn't consider Sean Connery for the role in 1962's Dr. No. Instead, Fleming was envisioning Cary Grant in the role. Later on, Fleming changed his mind and admitted Connery was perfect for the role

-On the set of 1963's From Russia with Love, he was almost killed. There was an incident when a helicopter pilot, who was too inexperienced, flew in too close to the set and almost decapitated Connery

-If the 1983 film Never Say Never Again was to be included as an official film in the James Bond 007 series, that would mean that Sean Connery and Sir Roger Moore have played James Bond seven times. Otherwise, if the film is not considered an official 007 film, Sir Roger Moore holds the title of most James Bond roles and films

-He regretted doing the 1998 film The Avengers

-When producer Albert Broccoli saw the 1959 film Darby O'Gill and The Little People, he immediately offered the role of James Bond to Sean Connery

-At a press screening in Paris for 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, he brought future James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore

-He started smoking at nine years old

-When author John Gardner was writing the James Bond-related novel Scorpius, Sean Connery was said to be the author's favorite actor in mind

-He was offered the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs. He declined it because of the heavy violence in the film

-He practiced karate and was a first level black belt holder

-He strongly disapproved of the dark and serious tone that Timothy Dalton had taken with the James Bond role. He felt it was not something audiences were prepared to see, a more violent James Bond

Most Popular Rock / Metal Tattoos

It's no surprise that music fans want something honoring their favorite musician on their body. Whether it be the logo, a few lines from a song, the mascot for the band (if they have one) and so on. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, here are the bands most people get something of for a tattoo.

I'm definitely guilty as charged. I have "Let It Be" with music notes surrounding it on my left shoulder. So it's obvious I like The Beatles. I'm planning on my next tattoo already. I want to get a few lines from the song "Wasted Years" by Iron Maiden on my right forearm. It'll be a representation of one of my favorite metal bands and it will be feminine, after all, I am female and don't want something too massive. Getting Eddie tattooed on my body is not something I want. Men mostly get Eddie tattooed; I want something a little simpler

A new study done by LLTattoo has revealed that rock bands and metal bands are amongst the popular choice for tattoos. They have revealed who the most popular musicians are for getting tattoos of.

Pink Floyd

-Taking the number one spot, these legendary British rockers have inspired the most tattoos, from logos to song lyrics to album covers. An average of 13,000 searches a month puts these guys at the top

Guns N' Roses

-Tattoos of Slash and company are amongst the popular ideas for tattoos. Of course, there are also song lyrics that hold meaning for the one intending to go under the needle. An average of 10,675 searches each month puts these guys at number 2

Rammstein

-This legendary German alt-metal band is popular amongst metal heads with an average 10,558 searches in a month

Metallica

-Any fan of Metallica would most likely get either an album cover or song lyric tattooed. They have 9.367 monthly searches

Nirvana

-Grunge rockers Nirvana still have a die hard following, despite the death of front man Kurt Cobain. Each month, they average 9,150 searches

Linkin Park

-The legendary metal band averaged 8,425 searches for tattoos inspired by them

Slipknot

-This Iowa-based giant of metal is seeing 7,900 searches a month

Twenty One Pilots

-This Ohio-based alt-rock band has inspired 7,775 monthly searches for tattoo-related ideas

Iron Maiden

-Not surprisingly, these legendary British metal legends have inspired a slew of tattoo ideas, ranging from song lyrics to album covers to the famous, iconic "Eddie the 'Ead". On average, each month they were getting about 7,125 tattoo ideas for fans

Tool

-This unique band was ranking about 6,200 monthly searches for tattoo-related ideas

According to Mentor Dedaj of LLTattoo, he said "It's very interesting to see which rock bands inspire the most tattoo pieces around the world. Rock music and ink are seemingly inseparable, and tats are almost obligatory to big rock heads. Having inked people in our studio with pieces influenced by some of these artists, some of the results are unsurprising. However, there are also a few interesting bands included in the top ten, as well as a few that surprisingly didn't make the list."